


URANUS - Peter Parker

by bugspray



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Hurt Peter Parker, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-05-27 18:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15030827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugspray/pseuds/bugspray
Summary: "Peter, are those... red tights?""Nope.""Those definitely looked like red tights.""I... do ballet?"--Eloquin Ernst was many things, a straight A student, a musician, a member of the volunteering committee, and a ball of pure sunshine all in one. Although one thing she was not and had never been, was a risk taker.Throughout the many years Eloquin had been alive (fifteen to be exact), she had never once pushed the boundaries. In her boring little circle of safety, she lived a fairly happy life, which consisted of movies, endless television, and preposterous amounts of sugar.But when she meets a fairly quiet boy with a skin tight red and blue spandex suit conspicuously stashed away in his backpack, a series of events unfold that turn her abnormally normal life into a freak-show.





	1. Umbrella

SMALL DROPS OF WATER dripped onto Eloquin's bare skin, sliding down, slipping off her unopened bright yellow umbrella and falling to the ground. She watched as this cycle repeated, the rain making its way down from the clouds to the cold asphalt of New York City. Cars and other vehicles kept whizzing past her, spraying her orange cardigan with more dirty water from the roads that had been trampled with transport from every corner of Queens.

The sun had begun setting behind the clouds, although it was almost impossible to even see the bright ball of fire in the sky with the thick canopy of clouds always shadowing over it anyway.

Patrice had decided to ditch her for a more exciting blind date with some rich private school boy, leaving Eloquin alone in the vast city, by herself. It was silly of her to be so scared, she had been living in Queens her whole life. But with the new vigilante spinning his way into her life and brand new villains haunting the streets, nothing seemed the same anymore. 

Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she punched some numbers into the keypad, waiting patiently with her phone pressed to her ear as quiet rings sounded through the device. After multiple attempts at calling her friend with no avail, Eloquin eventually gave up, sitting hopelessly at the bus stand in the early hours of the evening waiting for a bus that would most likely never come.

Small taxis kept whooshing past, honking obnoxiously at each other and littering the city with a dull yellow colour, something that was much needed in weather like this.

Another colour erupted in the sky, a blur of red and blue spinning through the air as NYC's very own masked vigilante swung across the rooftops of apartment blocks, eventually making his way down into an alleyway.

Eloquin usually wasn't a risk-taker or a thrill seeker, but something about the energy around the mysterious hero gave her a whiff of curiosity she had never experienced before. Rising from the damp wooden bench she was perched on, Eloquin made her way across the street and into the small alley in between two buildings. Her heart drummed loudly against her chest, warning her that she was approaching danger.

After only a few steps, the hero's figure came into her line of vision. He was crouched behind a few trashcans,  
his head hanging low and his hands rested on his knees. Something about him looked sullen, almost lost, and Eloquin hated to see the hope of the city so down.

"That's a very colourful outfit you've got there," She spoke quietly, inching closer to the vigilante. He stood up with a startle, alerted to her presence. He was quiet for a moment, confused as to why a girl who was soaked to the bone from the rain and holding an equally as soaked umbrella that was closed followed him into an alleyway.

"Uh, yeah. I guess it is pretty colourful, huh?" He began to notice more of the patterns on it, the intricacy of the designs that Mr Stark had plastered onto the suit.

"I'm Eloquin Ernst," Elle continued, words spilling out of her lips without an end.

"But that's a very long name, I don't even know why I told you that... You can call me Quinn, or Elle, or Eloque, or Eloquin. Whatever, really. Maybe even nothing at all, since you don't know me..."

The man in the suit stayed silent, his webbed eyes widening and narrowing a few times as she kept droning on and on about her name. She actually found it quite creepy that his eyes could move, even more creepy that she saw her reflection in them.

"Nice eye-holes!" She blabbered, almost wanting to slap a hand over her mouth to stop herself from talking. She couldn't even tell why she herself was here, striking up a conversation with a mysterious man she didn't even know.

"Well, I'm Spider-Man." The vigilante finally spoke, although his voice came out slightly muffled by the fabric of his suit.

"Yeah, I figured," Elle stuck out a hand, using the other to brush some of her wet brown hairs that had stuck themselves onto her face. When Spider-Man's hand made contact with her's, she almost flinched away, his touch feeling weird and unnatural. The whole meeting was weird and unnatural to both the Spider Boy and to Eloquin, as she had simply just wandered into an alleyway to meet him.

Realising he probably came here for some alone time, or to do something else, Eloquin began backing away, preparing to leave.

"Well, thanks for shaking my hand, and listening to my name, and telling me yours, or your alias, whatever," Eloquin began, rambling about whatever first came to mind.  
"I'll see you later! Or maybe not, I don't want to be caught in a sticky situation.... haha."

Her leg made contact with a trash can, a plastic bag wrapping around her leg and tugging her forward. Losing her balance, she tripped and tumbled to the ground, the contents of her bag flying everywhere and her knees being scraped on the ground.

"Well, shit!" She shrieked! The puddles on the ground soaking through her clothes and showering her with muddy water.

Spider-Man rushed to her side, helping her up and gathering some of her belongings that had fallen to the ground.

"Are you okay?" He queried, a mixture of confusion, surprise, and worry mixed into his words. 

Eloquin continued to stumble around, patting her bright yellow dress (which now had patches of mud adorning it) and muttering incoherent profanities under her breath. She shook her head lightly, scoffing at her own clumsy nature.

"Thank you, Spider-Ling," She said, letting out a deep puff of air before turning around to return home.

"Wait, you forgot your umbrella!" Spider-Man called out, using his webbing to latch onto her hand to prevent her from leaving. Eloquin waited a few moments, her eyes lingering over the vigilante's figure. He was shivering from the cold, his Spidey-Suit soaked with rain water.

"It's fine, I believe you need it more than I do." She threw him a smile, a warm and radiant one that showed off her glimmering teeth and wholesome heart.

Rounding the corner and skipping away, Eloquin returned home with the same cosmic smile plastered to her face, completely unknown to the lasting impression she made on New York's finest.


	2. Clown in Tights

"LOOK AT SPIDEY GO!" Patrice squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement as the blur of red and blue spun his way across the streets of Queens, New York. A thick layer of grey clouds loomed over the city, the only splashes of colour being the dull yellow of cabs and the vibrant suit of one of New York's finest heroes. Eloquin sighed dramatically at her best friend of three years, stashing her phone away quickly as the vigilante had run off to save the day once again. "I love how mysterious he is!" Patrice sighed, slapping her hands onto her cheeks as she marvelled at the hero. Something about the mystery surrounding the masked man failed to capture Eloquin's interest, the fact that she couldn't stick a face behind the mask frustrated her to the point where she wanted to pull her hair out. 

"He isn't even all that," Eloquin began, much to the chagrin of her raven haired friend. Patrice scowled at her, huffing before rolling her dark brown eyes. "Just you see, Ellie, he'll save your ass one day and you'll be left speechless." Patrice had a knack for being obsessed with things, or rather, people. Her obsessions would change as fast as the weather, her interests going from north to south at the speed of light. Eloquin shielded herself from most things, keeping focused on the more important things in life, like volunteering, and perfect grades. 

"Where do you think his dick goes in that tight-ass suit?" Patrice queried, sipping obnoxiously on her straw as she swirled her Starbucks drink around. "Patrice!" Eloquin reprimanded, slapping her friend playfully on the shoulder. "Watch your mouth!" The two girls kept giggling at the lonely bus stand, waiting for a bus that was infamous for never being on time. 

"We're soooo late for school," Patrice frowned, flicking a few stray hairs that had plastered themselves onto her face as she glanced at her jet black watch. She gave Eloquin a mischevious look, nudging her slightly with her elbow. "Fine, but only this time," Eloquin complied, lifting her sunshine yellow back and tying the laces on her crimson converse. "Excercise is good!" Patrice squealed, running off into the distance as her friend followed closely behind. 

\- - -

Eloquin winced as the sharp ringing of the school bell assaulted her eardrums, the twenty minute run to school already setting her in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Out of all of the many things Eloquin Ernst did best, physical activity was not one of them. Sliding into a seat at the front of the science lab, she pulled out her elaborate array of textbooks, notepads, and pens of almost every colour out in front of her, setting up her usual desk space. 

The school year had just started, and Eloquin was more than prepared, as usual. Many moments passed and the laboratory began filling up at a decent rate, students piling into the room and plopping into seats listlessly. The seat beside her remained empty, as usual, since nobody truly enjoyed her company. She let out a troubled sigh as she slumped further into her chair, more upset than embarrassed that she was alone once again. 

"Good morning, class," Doctor Ivenbore, their chemistry teacher muttered, slamming the few books he was holding in his arms down on the bench at the front of the room. He was a middle-aged divorced man with a balding head and no respect for anyone, except for the twenty-something-year-old teacher in the English faculty that he was crushing on. Ivenbore was almost always stuck in a bad mood, his rectangular glasses crooked and sweaters stained with coffee and wine. 

"Look closely at the imbecile sitting next to you, because they will be your partner for the next semester." He said idly before taking a long drag of his coffee mug (which was most likely filled with Vodka) and scribbling a page number on the chalkboard. Eloquin turned to the seat beside her, her frown deepening when she found empty as usual. 

Suddenly, the door burst open, a boy clambering through it with loose papers slipping out of his hands. He had dishevelled hair and thick rimmed glasses taking up most of his face, and his earphones poking up through his t-shirt collar. "You're late, Mister Parker. Go take a seat quickly, before I give you detention for interrupting class." 

A look of panic washed over the boy's face as he searched for a spot to sit it. After a long moment of struggle, his eyes landed on the seat beside Eloquin's, his eyes just as wide as her's were. Her heartbeat increased by tenfold, a sudden panic bubbling away in her chest. She was almost glad that no one had sat next to her, the thought of spending a whole semester studying on her own was like a dream come true, only to be ruined by some boy who clambered into the classroom. 

He lingered for a moment, contemplating whether or not to sit, even though he clearly had no choice. After a few beats, he reluctantly gathered his things and plopped down into the seat beside her's, awkwardly shuffling in the chair. 

Eloquin shifted her books to the side, making space for the boy to place his things. Her beautiful set up of neon highlighters and every volume of their textbook was disrupted, her belongings being confined into a corner. 

The rest of the students got to work almost immediately, chattering away as they discussed their weekend and how eventful it was. The silence between Eloquin and the boy was almost eerie, his foot continuously tapping against the leg of her chair. She tried to brush it off, raking her free hand through her dark brown locks, trying to distract herself from his constant fidgeting. 

"Umm, sorry, am I troubling you?" 

Eloquin's head snapped to the side, surprised that the boy actually opened his mouth to speak. She had never heard his voice before or even seen him for that matter. He must've been hidden away somewhere at the back of the class, in a corner of the room where nobody looked. 

"Sorry I just, I could tell you were kind of... uncomfortable?" 

She shook her head vigorously, biting her lip to prevent any profanities from tumbling out. Eloquin barely ever talked to other teenagers or any other humans in general, so she had no idea how to behave in front of them. 

"Nope, not at all..." She mumbled, closely eyeing him for any facial expressions or movement that could indicate what type of person he was. But surprisingly, he didn't seem to move a muscle. He sat frozen with questioning eyes, waiting for her to speak again. "I-I'm Eloquin. Or Eloquin Ernst, or Elle, or Eloque, or Ellie, or Ellnut, or-"

A small giggled escaped his lips as he dropped his gaze, his hazel eyes crinkling at the edges. Eloquin's face dropped, her mouth popping open as she watched him giggle. "Excuse me?" She said, slightly offended. "Oh, oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything I just found that kind of funny..." He mumbled, words spilling out of his lips as a bright red blush began erupting across his skin. Eloque continued to stare down at him, confused at peculiar mannerisms.

"I meant Ellnut, I was laughing at the Ellnut." He continued to explain. "I'm Peter, Peter Parker."

It was as though a light bulb lit itself in her head, a connection forming right then and there. "You're Peter Parker?" 

He nodded his head, smiling slightly. Eloquin knew him as the kid-genius, the boy who always came first in everything, the golden child. She almost felt a pang of jealousy with Peter Parker achieving all the things that she never could. Brushing it aside, she stuck her hand out, a bright yellow nail polish adorning her nails. 

"Nice to meet you, Partner."


	3. The Wrath of Eugene Thompson

IT HAD BEEN SO LONG since Eloquin had spent time by herself, alone with only her thoughts and the smell of daisies. New York was a beautiful city, a hot pot of opportunities, although it was a loud place crammed with people left and right.

She wasn't sure if this was allowed, laying down in the middle of the schoolyard in the early hours of the morning, but it was a feeling of satisfaction that she hadn't experienced in quite some time.

Tall blades of grass encapsulated her, her bare toes brushing against the daisies as she stared up into the cloudy sky. Eloquin didn't remember the last time she had seen the sun, the last time it had borne down onto her, warming up her cold skin and colouring the world with an affectionate yellow.

"You seem comfortable," A voice spoke from above. Eloquin hoisted herself up onto her elbows, staring into the kind eyes of a red-haired girl.

"I'm Mary Jane," She said gently, holding out a hand for her to take. Eloquin took it unsurely, although the girl's warm hearted smile seemed to give her a sense of comfort.

"I'm Eloquin," She said, giving a small smile back. She had seen the girl around often, she was in school plays, had been selected for a number of drama ensembles, and was known to be a cordial girl with a big heart.

"I was just wondering, do you have any experience with the performing arts? You seem like a very talented actress," Mary Jane smiled, tucking her small clipboard under her arm. 

"Uh... I was once in a school production of The Wizard of Oz...as a tree... " Eloquin replied, with an unsure smile. She only had one line as her tree, and she had still managed to mess it up. 

"Well, that's great! Have you thought of joining the school drama club? We're currently casting for our very own musical, I think you'll love it!" Mary Jane asked as she pulled a pen out of the back pocket of her jeans. Eloquin noticed she had a remarkable ability to keep her smile just as wide even when she was clearly disappointed, her eyes shining just as bright. 

Stunned by the offer, Eloquin shook her head softly and brushed some grass off her jeans. "I'm sorry, I don't think I'll do very well on a stage," She laughed. 

Mary Jane frowned, her eyebrows knitting together as she looked down at the small girl. "That's fine, we're having auditions in the auditorium next Wednesday if you change your mind."

"Yes, I'll think about it," Eloquin lied with a tight smile. The last thing she wanted was to be on stage with hundreds of people watching her while she moved her arms around and sang. 

"Just so you know, we are casting for trees," The red hair girl said with a laugh, giving Eloquin a final wave before making her way back to class, the brown clipboard still tucked under her arm. 

\--

"I don't know if you'll be able to go to the homecoming dance Patrice, the theme isn't black this year." Gwen mused, pegging a grape at Patrice's face. She scowled, slumping further into her chair with a huff.

"Is homecoming even a thing anymore?" She teased, throwing a sarcastic grin at Gwen who had doubled over laughing.

Patrice and Gwen seemed to be the most unlikely friends, their personalities being the polar opposites of each other. But that's what made them such a killer pair, the way they balanced each other out.

"Guess who I saw the other day at Oscorp?" Gwen hinted, huddling closer to the two girls as she took a swig of her chocolate milk. 

"None other than the infamous... Harry Osborn," She giggled, earning a gasp from Eloquin and a scowl from Patrice. 

Both Gwen and Eloquin gave Patrice a questioning look, raising their eyebrows at the girl who seemed less than impressed. 

"Spill." Eloquin urged with a worry settling over her face. Harry Osborn was known for his inability to stay at a school longer than three months, and his inability to stay with one girl, for less than three weeks. 

"It's really nothing..." Patrice muttered, playing with the chipped black nail polish on her fingernails before sighing. "He was my summer fling," She finally confessed, snapping her head back in her chair and running her hands over her face. 

"YOUR WHAT?" Gwen fretted, hacking at her lungs as she choked on the milk she was drinking. 

Eloquin giggled uncontrollably, lifting a hand to her mouth in shock. "You did not!" She cried, her shoulders shaking with laughter at the thought. 

Patrice buried her face in her arms in embarrassment, shaking her head in shame as her friends pestered her. 

"Oh my god, I can never look at him the same way again," Gwen complained, much to the chagrin of her friend. 

"Can we just pretend like this never happened?" Patrice begged. Eloquin kept laughing, until her attention was grabbed by a boy stumbling across the cafeteria looking for a place to sit. 

"Oh hey! Peter, come sit with us!" Gwen shouted out to the boy across the cafeteria. He floundered over to our table with his tray in hand, his hands gripping the tray so tightly until his knuckles turned white. Eloquin shuffled over slightly, giving his space to sit.

"Well guys, this is Peter Parker. Genius and photographer for the school paper." Gwen spoke, introducing him to the rest of the group. Eloquin gave him a soft smile, and Patrice nodded to him.

He sat awkwardly next to Patrice, keeping his head down and mouth shut. Patrice, as usual, was deeply analysing his every movement and his clothing choice, her eyes squinted in concentration while she made up her mind about him. 

"Woah! You're ripped!" Patrice exclaimed suddenly, poking at Peter's bicep with eyebrows raised in awe. Gwen craned her head forward, gasping as she began poking his bicep too. 

"I never knew you worked out?" Gwen said, putting her small carton of milk down and shifting her attention to him. Peter's gaze fell down to his hands in his lap, knitting his fingers together as he tried to make up a lie.

"Oh, yeah, I was helping out Aunt May with some stuff like moving boxes and it just happened, like a pimple, it just popped out of nowhere..." He fumbled, scratching the back of his neck with his face scrunched up in discomfort as Patrice's fingers moved down to his abdomen. 

"Holy shit! You have abs!" Patrice gasped, discarding her grapes and suddenly becoming intrigued by this boy she had just met. 

A small smile tugged at Eloquin's lips as she watched Peter stumble around for an excuse, his body language giving away his lies. Although she didn't say anything, just let him spin his little web as she watched on. 

"It's not a big deal, really, you just need to eat protein and it just happens..." He continued, pockets of red erupting onto his skin as a blush ran across his face.

"Protein, huh?" Eloquin muttered under her breath, smiling to herself.

It turns out she wasn't as discreet as she had wanted to be, with Peter angling his head slightly to frown at her.

She dipped her gaze, trying to ignore him staring at her as a blush crept its way into her own cheeks.

"Guys, stop, you're being creepy," Eloquin hissed, swatting away her friend's hands after sensing Peter's discomfort. He gave her a grateful smile before turning his attention back to the potato chips in front of him. 

"Ooh! There's Flash!" Gwen promptly exclaimed, tearing her eyes away from the table and standing up to wave at him. He began making his way over, a small gang of kids at his side. His presence made the air reek of Axe deodorant, his heavy footsteps alerting everyone in the vicinity of his existence. 

Hoisting herself up onto her toes, Gwen pecked Flash on the cheek, threading her arm through his.

Flash didn't return the enthusiasm.

"What are you doing with my girlfriend, Parker?" He spat, leaning over Eloquin as if she didn't even exist.

She frowned seeing the anxiousness on Peter's face as he stuttered to find an answer. 

"I-I was just, I'm sor-" Peter sputtered, already rising to his feet to leave the table, before having a hand grip his wrist and pull him down again. Eloquin frowned at him, placing her hand over his and standing up herself. 

"Please leave, I believe you're disturbing us," Eloquin objected, trying to put on the most convincing smile on her face as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. 

"Get out of my way," Flash grumbled, pushing Eloquin to the side and grabbing the collar of Peter's academic decathlon shirt. 

"Do you have a problem, Eugene?" Patrice suddenly interjected. Her words were laced with venom as she stood up to face him. "I would recommend you back off before I make you."

Flash smirked, narrowing his eyes and inching closer towards her. "Try me." He hissed, a sort of challenge threaded into his words that he knew Patrice wouldn't be able to resist. Her eyes widened significantly as she returned his smirk with a smile. "Gladly." 

"Flash, Patrice, stop." Gwen coaxed, the worry set into her face looking misplaced on her usually warm one.

"What's wrong Flash, is your ego bigger than your dick?" Patrice retorted, smirking as she leaned forwards over the table separating the two. 

Gwen pressed her palm to Flash's chest, stopping him from lunging forward and pushed him back. She whispered something into his ear that made the wild anger in his eyes subdue slightly before taking his hand and dragging him out of the cafeteria. 

Eloquin stood up herself, placing a cold hand onto Patrice's elbow. With a huff, she sat down, throwing a glare at Flash's retreating figure.

"Why did you stop me?" Patrice asked, her chest still heaving as she fumed with annoyance. 

"Trust me, you would've made it worse for him." She explained softly, while also keeping an eye on Peter. 

"I'm sorry, I'm going to go," He murmured, grabbing his bag and rushing out of the cafeteria. His hands were trembling slightly at his sides as he apologised and ran off. Eloquin gave an apologetic look to Patrice, her eyebrows knitting together in worry before following Peter out the door.


	4. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

THE HALLWAYS WERE QUIET around this time of day, the only sound being the slapping of Eloquin's sneakers against the squeaky timber floors. She stumbled around the corridors, opening doors to classrooms she wasn't supposed to be in and even popping her head into the boys change rooms, but Peter was still nowhere to be found.

Running a hand through her knotted hair in frustration, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and dialled Peter's number.

After what seemed like years, she was greeted by a wonderfully automated lady telling her to leave a message after the tone.

"Hey, Peter.... I'm sorry about what happened, I hope you understand that Patrice meant well, she just has a weird way of expressi-"

Her voicemail was cut off my a single beep, her attention now shifting to the notification flashing brightly on her phone screen that she had just gotten from the Daily Bugle.

SPIDER-MAN INTERFERES WITH THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT ONCE AGAIN, IS HE A THREAT TO THE CITY?

With a troubled sigh, she locked her phone and made her way to the cafeteria to go sulk by herself, before a familiar kind face stepped in her way to cheer her up. 

"Eloquin! Hi, what are you doing here?" Mary Jane asked, her long red locks swept up into a messy bun sitting just below the nape of her neck. 

"I was just looking for- you know what, never mind," Eloquin said, tucking some loose hairs behind her ears and smiling at the girl. 

"I hope you're okay," Mary Jane smiled, placing a warm hand on her shoulder and nodding at her. When her head tilted to the side, her unbound pieces of hair fell onto her freckled face, a tender look in her eyes as she tried to search the depths of your mind to find what the true problem is. After a few moments of gazing, the silence between them growing stale, she backed away. 

"Well then, I'll leave you to it," She spoke, waving goodbye before disappearing into the corridors of the vast school of Midtown Science. 

Period after period past, the minutes ticking by like hours as Eloquin sat at her desk in the Chemistry lab, chewing on her pen while awaiting the arrival of the boy who had simply up and ran away. Dr Ivenbore kept droning on and on about Neutrons, while half of the class were either on their phones or chatting quietly to each other. 

"Look! It's Spider-Man, he's in Times Square right now, fighting off a thug. Isn't he so cool?" A student from a few tables away whispered. Eloquin tried to ignore the chattering, rather focusing on her homework and the task at hand, although the only thoughts running through her head were of Peter, and how her friends had embarrassed him. Overwhelmed with guilt, she decided to go speak to him that afternoon, after school. 

"Miss Elise, are you with us?" Dr Ivenbore called, his cloudy blue eyes glaring down at her from under his glasses as he raised his bushy eyebrows at her. She frowned, placing her pen down and smoothing out her skirt. "My name is Eloquin, not Elise, thank you very much." She deadpanned, a scowl running across her teacher's face before he quickly composed himself and resumed his boring explanation. 

Pulling her own phone out, Eloquin scrolled through her web feed to observe the fantastic and great feats of the Man-Spider, her lips curling into a faint smile as she saw the way he flung himself into the hands of danger, embracing the responsibility that came along with it. 

\- - - 

Knocking softly on the hard wooden door, Eloquin winced as her knuckles made contact with the harsh material, stretching them out as she waited outside Peter Parker's apartment. They didn't live awfully close by; it still took ages for her to pedal all the way across Queens on her battered down bicycle in the rain to reach him, her wet hair sticking unflatteringly to her face. 

"Eloquin, what are you doing here?" Peter asked, his eyes lying to her as he acted as though he was surprised. Something was off about this boy, Eloquin knew it. It was as though he was always one step ahead of her, seeing things before anyone else could. 

"I, uh, just came to see how you were doing," She explained, her eyes fluttering down to Peter's sweatpants and grey NASA shirt. A small slit sat just beneath his shirt and above his sweats, a slit that should've exposed his torso, but instead left a bright red material show through instead. Although Eloquin ignored it, the fact that she was staring at his torso was creepy enough. 

Peter's eyes clouded over for a moment, narrowing slightly before widening in realisation. "Oh, yes, that. It was nothing, really, nothing at all." He replied, placing a hand on the back of his neck and staring at his socked feet. 

"But you ran away, how could that be nothing?" She asked, her head spinning as she took in his form. He didn't look as distraught as she expected him to be, other than the few scratches that were sprinkled over his face that had not been there before. 

"What happened to your face," She questioned, her queries becoming more urgent now as she became increasingly intrigued with this boy who had more secrets to hide than he could hold. 

"I, I just fell. Really hard. On the concrete," He said sheepishly, the bursts of red flaring across his face and neck telling a different story. He was a horrible liar, and Eloquin couldn't tell if he knew it or not. 

"PETER!! Can you go down to the shops and bring me some more lavender tea?" May Parker shouted from what Eloquin guessed to be the kitchen. 

Peter grimaced at her voice, almost as though it was louder than what it truly sounded like. "Yes, Aunt May!" He responded softly, slipping his feet hurriedly into his sneakers before looking back at the girl standing soaked in his doorway. 

"Hold on-" He said, disappearing out of the doorway before returning with a small towel. She took it hesitantly, before placing it on her head and drying her hair with it. 

"I'm sorry, I've got to go," Peter mumbled, already well on his way out the door onto the street. 

"I'll come with you!" Eloquin proposed, her curiosity bubbling far too much to leave the mystery that was Peter Parker alone. He stopped for a moment, contemplating, before nodding and letting her tag along. 

"I promise I won't be of any trouble to you!" She exclaimed like a child, hopping behind him while slipping under his umbrella. 

She could feel him tense up because of their proximity, ignoring her own heart thumping loudly in under her yellow hoodie.

"So... about the thing th-"

"It's fine," Peter interjected, his head swaying softly. There was something about him that was on edge, his eyes constantly darting around their surroundings.

"I'm sorry," Eloquin began, the lump in her throat growing as so the pit in her stomach. She knew her friends had troubled him, and she couldn't simply let it slide so easily.

A frown pulled his lips down as he stared at her across the wooden handle of the umbrella. "Why are you apologising? It's not your fault, Eloquin."

She shook her head lightly, her nails sinking so deep into her palms that they turned her skin a raw, blistering red. "You're too good for this stupid world, Peter." 

"Look, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me, okay?" Peter sighed, scratching the back of his neck and shuffling around on his feet. 

Eloquin quickly stopped staring at the way Peter bit his lip when he was frowning, and cleared her throat. 

"Well... I apologised, so... I guess I should go now..." Eloquin began, stepping backwards before stomping in a large puddle and wincing as muddy water splashed all over her knee high socks. 

"Oh dear!" She squeaked as the clouds suddenly decided to let out a loud rumble, rain spewing out of the sky and landing onto her hair. Out of reflex, Peter stretched his hand out and pulled Eloquin under his umbrella, his arm around her waist and her arms around his neck. 

The two stood there for a long minute, admiring the way the other's hair looked when it was damp and stuck to their forehead and how their chests rose and fell deeply while they were panting. 

Another deep grumble from the clouds above snapped Eloquin out of it as she quickly removed herself from his embrace, almost jumping out of his arms and straightening out her skirt. Clearing her throat loudly, she brought Peter out of his trance too, making him instinctively drop his gaze down to her feet while his skin turned warm. 

"Well, that was intimate," Peter laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck once again out of habit and earning a scowl from Eloquin. 

"Wow, Parker, it wasn't awkward until you made it awkward," Eloquin remarked, blinking profusely in an attempt to clear the raindrops that had begun to collect around her eyelashes. 

Giving Peter a final wave, Eloquin quickly spun on her heel and skipped away, the rain that plastered her dampened hair to her forehead reminding her of a similar encounter she had with a funny man in a red and blue suit.


End file.
